Do you think that your prayers for another are effective? We pray for others even when they can’t pray for ourselves, yet will the prayer of faith heal another. We witness this through Scripture when Jesus was teaching and people had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and Jerusalem. The Pharisees and Teachers of the law were there also. It was a packed house! Let’s pick it up from Scripture: “Just then some men came, carrying on a mat a man who was paralyzed. They tried to bring him in and set him down before Him. Since they could not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the mat through the roof tiles into the middle of the crowd before Jesus. Seeing their faith He said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven you.’ Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to think: Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone. But perceiving their thoughts, Jesus replied to them, ‘Why are you thinking this in your hearts?” Luke 5:18-22 We have the situation of a man needing healing, and men who carried him. They weren’t to be deterred. When they couldn’t get in, they decided to take dramatic steps. They climbed to the roof and loosened the roof tiles and lowered the man. It was THEIR faith that Jesus commended. He healed the paralyzed man. The paralyzed man could do nothing on his own, but the love of some friends who cared enough for him and believed that Jesus could heal him, propelled them onward, and they wouldn’t give up when all seemed hopeless. Have you ever sat with another whose faith maybe wasn’t that strong, and they couldn’t help themselves. But because of love, you prayed. You petitioned God out of a selfless heart of love for another. How often do we lift prayers up but they are not necessarily prayers of faith, because we may not have an emotional connection to the one needing prayer. They are just duty because we are asked, we respond with prayer. We’ve done our duty. But when we involve the heart from a totally selfless and loving position of care, will our prayers be different. I wonder? So often we think of another needing prayers and we lift up that person to the Lord. But do we find the way to Jesus; would we tear open the roof to get to Him, I know that is only figuratively, but it’s also the passion of faith that is in us that makes us want something so badly for another, that we will go to all lengths to get our prayer to Jesus. I know He hears, because He listens to the heart, and if we are just praying from the duty of the mind, is that a prayer that Jesus would listen to? I wonder? These men could have said to the paralyzed man. “Well, we tried our best, but we just can’t get in.” The paralyzed man was at their mercy, their decisions. He could do nothing for himself, it was all up to them. Somehow, someway, they decided by faith, that they would step out of the box and do whatever it took to get to Jesus. That’s faith. That’s a heart that is dedicated to petition the gates of heaven on behalf of another. Jesus told another parable on the need to pray always and not become discouraged. He said, “And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary. For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect man, yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice, so she doesn’t wear me out by her persistent coming. Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. Will not God grant justice to His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay to help them? Luke 18: 3-7 Let’s be like the persistent widow, and not give up until the Lord answers. For He surely will answer. Pastor Andy
Barnabas Man 